Living with the Avengers
by WayToDawn324
Summary: "Carter and Laynie are the daughters of three deceased SHIELD agents. Left homeless and in danger, Nick Fury decides that while the state finds them a new home, they will be housed with the Earth's Mightiest Heroes- The Avengers. How will the girls, and the Avengers, cope with this new living arrangement?" Superfamily-esque, no slash. Only pairing is Pepperony. Collab with Lartovio
1. Prologue: Meeting the Avengers

"Good morning." Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, welcomed the Avengers; Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton. "Last week Agents Benjamin Beckett, Denise Beckett, and Rebecca Combs were killed in action on a mission in an undisclosed location. It was not meant to be such a dangerous mission, but things got out of hand. But that is beside the point."

Tony Stark raised his hand, swiveling slightly in his chair on the SHIELD Helicarrier. "Excuse me, Director Fury, if you could tell me what the point is, I would really appreciate that. I have a meeting to attend."

Fury gave Tony a one-eyed glare. "I was getting there, Mr. Stark. If you could contain yourself for a moment."

"One more question." Tony redirected the hand in the air to point at two teenagers sitting in identical swiveling chairs across the long conference table. "Who are they?"

Fury didn't give response, only turned and slowly paced the length of the table. "The Becketts had one child, as did Rebecca. Their names are Carter Beckett and Laynie Combs, both age fifteen." He gestured to the teens, who both refused to look up from the ground.

Carter, who sat to the left, had long, brown hair, fair skin, and was on the taller side. As her head was down, the Avengers could not see a good portion of her face. However, Laynie was much more visible. Carter and her were bright contrasts, one with long brown hair and the other with boy-short, bright red hair.

"Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, your mission is to keep a close eye on them until the state finds suitable guardians for them, and we ensure there will not be any problems as a consequence of their parents' last mission."

Tony threw his arm into the air again. "Where do we come in here?"

"They're going to stay at Stark Tower, and your efforts will all be needed in the care of these girls." Fury turned his attention to said girls, still dejectedly swiveling in their chairs. "Girls, meet the Avengers."

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_WaytoDawn: ERMAGERD. Hi. I haven't been on in while. So, um, this is a fic about the Avengers. Obviously. And yeah, two girls. They've been taken in by the Avengers. And, and... I'm co-authoring this with Lartovio. Always fun... yeah. Enjoy! :)_

_Lartovio: Hello you lovely readers, you! I hope you've enjoyed our little teaser chapter. I suppose like Dawn said, it's a prologue. I know this fic sounds pretty weird. Like, we're just going to take a couple of random kids and stick them in Stark Tower- YAY! but really, it's a good story. We've got the next like, three or four chapters already written up, so updates will come quickly. (Well, as quickly as reviews urge them to ;))_


	2. Chapter One: Welcome to Stark Tower

"So, um, welcome to Stark Tower..." Tony said awkwardly.

Carter and Laynie followed him out of the elevator into the living floor of Stark Tower. They lugged a few bags behind them, while the rest of the baggage had been distributed between Steve and Thor.

They had learned as the two girls lifted their heads, that Carter had brown eyes and Laynie had green eyes.

"So, these are the visitors you were talking about on the phone?" A red headed woman walked into the room.

"Yep." Tony smiled and pulled the woman close, planting a kiss on her lips.

The woman pulled away and walked over to Carter and Laynie. "Hello, I'm Virginia Potts, but you can call me Pepper. That's what everyone calls me." She introduced herself with a kind smile, holding out her hand to shake.

Carter simply looked at the hand disinterestedly before turning her head back toward the ground.

Laynie elbowed her before shaking Peppers hand. "Thanks for letting us stay."

Tony scoffed. "Don't thank her, Fury's just ordering us around."

"You could've said no." Carter muttered under her breath.

Pepper gave the girls a sympathetic look. "We're glad to have you anyway. Now Natasha and I won't be so grossly outnumbered around here."

Laynie gave a little smile and nod.

"How about we show them where they're staying?" Natasha offered. "I'm sure they'd like a chance to rest and get settled in."

Tony nodded. "Right." He turned to Pepper, "There are rooms prepared right?"

"Yes." Pepper rolled her eyes. "Come on girls, it's just down the hall here."

Carter and Laynie picked up their bags and walked after her.

As they walked down the extravagantly long hallway, Pepper pointed out which room belonged to who. "And right there on the end is where Tony and I stay, if you ever need anything that's where to go." She stopped in front of one room on the left side of the hallway and unlocked the door, giving Carter the key. "This is your room. There's a bathroom on the right side there. Let me know if you need anything."

Carter wheeled her suitcase into her room and shut the door behind her.

Pepper turned to the right side of the hallway and unlocked another, giving this key to Laynie. "The same for you Laynie. Oh!" She knocked on Carter's door and said when she came out, "there's a blue button at the end of the hallway, that's Jarvis, Tony's artificial butler to put it simply. He'll also help if I'm not around."

"Thank you Ms. Potts," Laynie said before going into her room.

"Yeah, thanks." Carter agreed rudely, shutting her door.

Pepper sighed. "She's gonna be fun." She slowly walked back down the hallway to the living area, where everyone else stood.

"So... first impressions?" Bruce asked.

"Laynie seems nice enough, it's the other one that's so rude." Steve put it simply.

"The 'other one' has a name." Natasha pointed out.

"Carter seems fun," Clint smirked sarcastically. "We'll have fun with her."

"Clint, do remember that we're supposed to protect these children, not provoke them."

Tony laughed. "Who said we can't do both? I like both!"

Pepper shook her head. "Really guys, it sounds like Director Fury was pretty vague about it all, but if they weren't in some pretty serious danger they wouldn't be here. Don't go getting big heads on this, but you're some of the most powerful people on earth, and Fury wanted Carter and Laynie with one of you at all times."

"And you all realize that their parents died. Everybody copes different ways." Bruce added. "So, maybe Carter copes by pushing others away." He shrugged.

There was a short silence, broken by Thor. "I like them! But I am confused of this Carter's gender. It appears to be female, but bears the name of a man."

Not even Natasha could resist giving a laugh to Thor's comment.


	3. Chapter Two: Earth's Mightiest Dinner!

In Stark Tower, the ring of a doorbell after five in the afternoon often meant dinner. It was often a more effective call for the Avengers to assemble than even the call of SHIELD. So, by the time Pepper and Bruce made their way into the dining room, carrying five pizza boxes each, all of the Avengers were ready and waiting for their greasy feast.

Pepper sat down her share of the boxes and cried, "Wait!" before they could get the boxes open. "Let me go call Laynie and Carter in first." She shook her head. "Have some manners, boys."

Just as soon as she left, she returned. Though with only one teen in tow. "Looks as if Carter refuses to come out of her room." She announced.

"We could always break down the door." Clint suggested, a mischievous look in his eyes.

Natasha shook her head. "Give her time, she'll come around."

"Carter never refuses food," Laynie said quietly.

Pepper pulled out a chair for the fellow redhead. "I'm sure she'll get some later. For now, let's eat." The second the words left her mouth, the boys jumped up from their seats and began filling their plates.

"What kind do you like?" Pepper asked Laynie with a warm smile.

"Anything's good." Laynie answered.

Pepper nodded and opened one of the boxes, cautiously avoiding the ravenous hands of the boys, and grabbed a piece out. She set it on a plate and gave it to the girl.

"Thank you."

Pepper smiled. "Of course."

After dinner they all parted ways one by one, Tony going off to the lab, Pepper to finish her work day, Steve to the gym, and the others to their own places. Laynie, after searching the kitchen quietly, took out a clean plate and laid out a piece of pizza on it, walking it back to Carters room. She knocked with her elbow. "Carter, open the door, I bring pizza!"

Quickly, the door was thrown open and Laynie found herself being dragged inside.

"Thank god!" Carter grinned at the other girl. "You're the greatest friend ever!" She took the plate from Laynie's hands before sitting on the bed.

"As if I didn't know that," she replied with a wave of the hand, sprawling out across her friend's borrowed floor. "Let me tell you something that you probably know too- you're being a terrible guest."

"I never wanted to be here in the first place." Carter mumbled.

Laynie propped herself up on her elbow, trying to hide her half frustrated and half incredulous look to her friend. Every since they were children, when Laynie's mom first joined SHIELD, they'd been friends, and she had never known her to be so careless. "C'mon, you think I want to be here? I'd rather be home. But that's also not an option."

Carter sighed. "I'm just tired of all the people pretending to care. That's all it's been since my parents and your mom died. Empty apologies and condolences from people who didn't even know our parents."

"I get sick of hearing it too, but nobody knows what else to tell us. You should just be grateful that SHIELD stepped in and we won't be put in the foster system. I don't know about you, but I'd rather hang out with a bunch of pizza-loving superheroes than some stuffy foster parents."

"Yeah, yeah. I guess it's better than that. But, don't expect me to like being here. And if you're going to continue lecturing me, you can leave. If not, you can stay. I want someone to talk to." Carter smiled lightly.

Laynie was up and for the door in a split second. "I'm just trying to help, Carter. I'm worried about you. Of all the people you think are pretending to care, I'm not one of them. You should be happy to be here."

Carter rolled her eyes. "Just leave."

The other girl quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Carter gently set her plate on the side table and curled up in a ball underneath her blankets. Tears quietly streamed from her eyes. She cried herself to sleep that night.

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_Lartovio: Aw, sad chapter is sad. I promise it gets better though! So, how are you guys liking it so far? We kinda need you to let us know, because we're sad little insecure authors. Ideas are welcome, as well as your constructive crit!_

_WayToDawn: Dinner with the Avengers, sounds like it would be fun. :) Please tell us if you like our fic, we would much appreciate it. So yeah, review please?_


	4. Chapter Three: Eavesdropping and Snacks

The next day, Carter cautiously unlocked her door and peeked her head outside. When she saw that no one was around, she stepped out and started to wander the building.

She was about to step into the living area when she heard talking, she took two steps back and was about to turn around when she heard her name being said. Not able to deny herself the enjoyment of eavesdropping, she crept up to the corner, just out of view of whoever was in the living area.

"I've never seen such a rude child, I understand that she just lost her parents but she could be a little more respectful." Carter heard what sounded like Steve saying.

"What do you expect, she's a teenager." Clint, or what sounded like him, said.

Steve sighed. "That's not how it was in my day. I just hope Director Fury finds suitable guardians so we can get them out of here."

"What're you doing?"

Carter jumped when she heard a voice behind her. She turned and found a man standing behind her. I think his name was... Bruce. Yeah, that's it. She thought to herself.

"Are you okay?" Bruce asked.

"Fine." She answered.

He awkwardly gestured to the living room. "Eavesdropping? That's generally not good for you."

"I don't remember asking your opinion. And I wasn't eavesdropping." She pouted.

He smiled. "Whatever you say. I'm going to make a snack, would you like something?"

"No than-" Carter started to say, but was interrupted by her stomach calling out to her for food.

His smile widened a little, and he walked down the remainder of the hallway, silently motioning for her to follow him into the kitchen. He walked right to the fridge, pulling out several plastic bags of vegetables and a bottle of ranch dressing. "What would you like?"

She shrugged as she took a seat at the island. "I dunno. Anything I guess."

He shrugged back and got an extra plate, loading them both up with pre-cut vegetables and a dollop of ranch in the center. "So, how are you liking it here?" he asked as he sat down across the island from Carter.

"It's fine." She mumbled, while nibbling on some celery.

He raised an eyebrow. "Answer honestly."

"How do you know I'm not?" Carter narrowed her eyes.

He thought about it for a second. "I just do. And you may or may not need a little practice lying. You'll have to take that up with Tony."

A smile graced her lips before she could stop herself.

"Look at that, you can smile." He grinned at her.

Quickly wiping the look off her face, Carter shook her head wildly, "I wasn't smiling."

"Sure, right." They sat in silence, munching on their snack. "You still haven't answered my question, you know."

"Isn't kinda obvious I don't want to be here?" She replied bluntly.

He nodded slowly. "It is. I think you offended Pepper a little. Or worried her at the least. She's always telling everybody that they can just ask her for anything and she doesn't know what to do with people who refuse her."

Carter felt a little guilt at this. "I wasn't meaning to. I haven't exactly been having a good week and right now, I don't think I really care who I offend."

"Be careful. A mindset like that, once you accept it, is hard to get rid of." When he did not receive a response, he said, "Sorry. I'll stop now." He got up and put his plate in the sink. "Thanks for chatting with me."

She nodded listlessly. "Yeah..." Her mind stayed on his last sentence even after he left.

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_WayToDawn: Yay, another chapter! And reviews! :) I hope you all like this new chapter and we'll be sure to post again soon._

_Lartovio: Thanks for the reviews, follows and favs, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave us your feedback!_


	5. Chapter Four: Early Mornings

Laynie always looked forward to Saturday as the one day of the week her mother allowed her to sleep in. It was a pattern that was almost never broken. But on her first Saturday in Stark Tower, she gave up all hope of sleeping in at around eight in the morning.

First, at around six, Thor bellowed a good morning to Pepper. Laynie would have been surprised to hear that anyone slept through that. Then Tony tested upgrades to Jarvis at seven, causing him to shout "how may I be of service" in seven different languages at varying volumes in every room. Then once Laynie was finally nearing sleep again, Steve burned a pancake and set the smoke alarms off.

For a while she laid in bed, listening to all the noises outside her room. She wanted to go and be a part of it, but she wasn't sure if she would be completely welcomed. She certainly didn't want to be in the way.

Eventually, she decided it couldn't hurt anything and jumped out of bed. She reasoned that if she couldn't sleep in, she would at least lounge around in her pajamas. There wasn't a force on the earth that was going to stop her, either.

When she walked into the living room, she found Tony playing a session of early morning video games on the computer while Thor and Clint played with the Nintendo Wii, narrowly missing hitting every breakable object in the room.

She moved on to the kitchen in pursuit of breakfast, and found the pancakes that Steve hadn't burnt in a tall stack on the counter. Laynie made herself a plate of them and sat down at the dining room table with Pepper, who seemed to be working on her laptop.

"Good morning," Pepper greeted with a smile.

"Hi," Laynie smiled back.

Pepper closed her laptop and gave the teenager her full attention. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, until around six a.m., I slept great."

She laughed. "Sorry, it gets pretty loud around here sometimes."

"I can tell. Have you seen Carter this morning?"

Pepper shook her head. "I'm afraid I have not. I've only seen her come out of her room once or twice since you two came."

Laynie released a sigh.

"Is she alright?"

"I don't even know," she answered. "We had a little bit of an argument the first night we were here, and I haven't talked to her since."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's alright. I guess Carter just wants to be alone. She isn't handling the situation very well at all."

Pepper smiled gently and placed a hand on top of Laynie's, which lay outstretched on the table, and said, "I'm sure she'll come around. She won't be able to stay quiet forever, no one can."

Laynie laughed. "You obviously don't know Carter. She probably has a world record in quiet or something."

"I'm sure even she has her limit. And if we don't see her come out in a few days, we could always take Clint's suggestion and break down the door." Pepper joked.

They laughed and then were silent while Laynie finished her pancakes.

"May I ask how you are dealing with this whole situation?" She asked, concern in her eyes.

She shrugged, looking down at her lap. "Okay, I guess. I still just have a hard time believing it's real. My mom was really all I ever had, since I can't even remember my dad. I guess in the back of my head I always knew there was a risk of losing my mom, I just never really expected it to happen."

"I'm sorry." Pepper said, "I'm sure your mother was a good woman, especially to raise such a wonderful daughter."

Laynie gave her a smile. "Thanks. I think you kinda remind me of her somehow. Like... you're really nice, but you take no crap."

"Well I'm honored," she said, thoroughly honest. "And as far as Carter goes, she's just going through the same thing as you. Everybody deals with things like this differently."

"I know... does that make me wrong to be mad at her anyway?"

"No. Even if she's in pain, she has no right to be mean to people."

"Hmph, somebody needs to tell her that."

Then from the living room came a shout that startled them both. "I win again! HA! Three game-streak!"

"That would be Clint," Pepper said with a roll of her eyes. "He thinks he's king of the world for being able to beat Thor in Wii bowling."

Laynie grinned. "I don't suppose Thor would like a little help showing him up?"

Pepper stood excitedly. "It's about time Clint took a beating."

Laynie and Pepper ran into the living room and challenged the boys to a match of virtual bowling.


	6. Chapter Five: We're Going to the Zoo!

By Sunday, it had been a few days since anyone had seen Carter come out of her room. They assumed she was sneaking food in the middle of the night though.

"That's it! I'm breaking down the door!" Clint growled on the other side of Carter's door.

Carter quickly sat up in bed after hearing this. He's gonna do what?!

A loud bang was heard on the other side of the door, and the door came crashing down to the ground.

"What was that about?!" Carter screamed at him.

Clint ignored her and walked in. Grabbing the girl's arms, he pulled her up and over his shoulder. "We're going out and you can't stay here alone!" He stomped out of the room angrily.

"Put me down!" Carter growled and kicked him in the stomach.

He grunted harshly and pinned her legs to his chest. "Stop it!"

Laynie followed him down the hallway, trying not to laugh as her friend struggled against Clint's grip.

"Clint! Nobody gave you permission to do that! That door is coming right out of your next paycheck," Tony grumbled.

"But the last time you blew one out with the armor it wasn't your fault," Pepper said as she breezed by her boyfriend.

Pepper was looking especially casual that day, further proof to the girls that they were going out. She wore her long red hair out of its normal bun and a lace-trimmed sundress instead of pants or a full suit.

Thor, Tony, Steve and Clint all wore shorts, which looked the weirdest on Thor. Bruce still wore khakis. Natasha didn't go so far as to wearing a dress, but she did wear a pair of shorts and a fluttery tank top.

A stream of profanities fell from Carter's mouth. "Put me down! This is not okay!"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "I like that one. Pepper, how long do we have these again?"

Pepper didn't grace the question with an answer.

"Carter! We're going to go to the zoo!" Laynie said happily. "It was Steve's idea. He thinks we need to do something all together and outdoors. Or something like that."

"Can't I stay here?" Carter pleaded.

"Why?" Bruce asked curiously.

"I hate the zoo."

"Oh. Well, that's a pretty good reason. But, no." Clint answered.

Carter angrily elbowed him in the back of the head and smirked when she heard the grunt of pain.

Natasha walked around to Clint's back, stooping down so that Carter could see her. "We could not legally leave you here. You must be with one of us at all times, and we're all going!"

"Fine. I'll go." Carter sighed. "Can you put me down now?" She asked Clint.

Clint looked at Natasha questioningly. She nodded once.

"Okay," He gently set the girl down on her feet.

Laynie came up to her once she was on her feet again. "Carter, I don't want you to be mad at me."

Carter rolled her eyes. "I'm not mad at you anymore. You should know by now how antisocial I am."

She just stared at her friend. "And you never came to see me? What have you even been doing the past few days?"

"Reading, writing, playing on my phone, sneaking around when no one can see me. You know, the usual." Carter smiled at Laynie.

Laynie shook her head. "Are you ready to leave?"

"I don't think I have a choice, Layn."

Tony clapped his hands together loudly, "Well, that was a touching reunion, can we go now?"

Laynie flinched at the loud and sudden noise, and nodded. "Yes, we're ready when you are."

With that being said, the group piled into one of Tony's many limoes driven by one Happy Hogan of course. "Where to today, Mr. Stark?" The chauffeur asked.

"The zoo." Tony replied.

Happy started the car. "Of course, Mr. Stark. Though, can I ask why the sudden urge to go to the zoo?"

"I had other ideas, but none of them were suitable for our guests." Tony grumbled.

"Ah, of course." Happy looked back at the two girls through the rear view mirror. "It's nice to meet you." He smiled.

Carter nodded in greeting.

The drive to the zoo didn't take long, but when the ride is with a Norse god, two fifteen year olds, a ninety two year old war veteran with the appearance of a twenty-two year old, two SHIELD agents, Iron Man, his girlfriend, and the Hulk, it feels a lot longer than it is.

Eventually, they pull up to the entrance of the zoo and file out of the limo.

Now, people don't normally expect to see the Avengers at the zoo, but as you can imagine when they did... people got a little bit too excited.

Soon enough, people were crowding around the small group of people.

Happy, along with some people from zoo security, started making a path for them. Both Carter and Laynie stuck close to the Avengers, neither quite enjoying the people crowding them.

"I knew this was a bad idea..." Carter whispered to Laynie.

"Come on, at least they're trying to do something nice for us. I'm sure people will back off eventually."

Laynie's words weren't too far from the truth. Most of the crowd vanished fairly quickly, but people still ran up to one of the superheroes every few minutes. Most people were polite enough to notice they were trying to enjoy a day off, though, and left them be.

"So, where to first?" Pepper asked curiously.

Steve looked at Carter and Laynie. "Why don't we let them choose?"

"I always love the reptile house," Laynie replied with a shrug. "Carter, where do you want to go?"

"The reptile house is fine." Carter responded quietly.

The group shuffled through the reptile and amphibian house, and most of them found it more interesting than they thought they would. Pepper and Natasha had expected it to be all creepy-crawlies, but had found some cute dart frogs to look at. Tony and Thor were debating whether or not the latter would be able to beat the zoo's large anaconda snake in a fight. Steve fell in love with the tortoise.

Laynie tried to get Carter interested in the lizards of varying sizes, but had no such luck.

Eventually, Laynie just stopped and left her friend to her own devices.

Carter wandered the reptile house, taking a few seconds to look at each animal. She stopped at the large boa constrictor. She squirmed a little bit, she never really liked reptiles and the thought of a snake that could strangle you to death didn't exactly sit well with her. Especially when said snake is right in front of you, with the only thing separating them was a few inches of glass.

"Kinda creepy, isn't it?" Somebody asked.

Carter turned and found Bruce walked up to look at the snake as well. "Yeah..."

"You don't strike me as the type to be fond of snakes." He said.

"I'm not. But, Laynie likes them so I wanted her to be able to see them." Carter shrugged.

He scrunched his nose. "I never liked snakes either. Would you like to accompany me outside?"

Carter nodded quickly. "Please." They made their way outside the dark place and into the bright sunshine outside.

Everyone else remained indoors, still marveling over their own section of the house. Laynie made her way over to Thor, who remained in front of the anaconda's glass cage even after Tony had moved on.

"Child," he said thoughtfully, quieter than usual. "Tony Stark has put a dent in my pride. He has mocked my claim that I could easily beat this monster, even without my hammer."

Laynie gave him a concerned look. "You're not going to try... right?"

"No, certainly not here. The beast has an unfair advantage over me, as it is surrounded by its kind in this place."

Laynie tried not to giggle. He was just so serious about the entire situation. "Well, I mean, the snake is as big around as your arm. And instead of just having two arms, he has a really long body and fangs. I think he might win, at least if you didn't have your hammer."

Thor chuckled. "Silly mortals, I could most easily defeat this serpent."

Laynie did laugh this time. "How about you start by beating Clint in Wii bowling? Somehow I think that's put more dents in your pride than this snake."

"Correct! This statement of yours is most wise, Laynie. I will consult Tony on a form of cheating for this game."

As Thor lumbered away, Laynie muttered, "That's not exactly what I meant, but okay..."

Soon after that, they came out of the reptile house and found that Bruce and Carter were looking at the giraffes, whose exhibit was only a few feet away from the reptile house.

Carter turned around when she heard footsteps approaching, "How did you like the reptile house?" She asked Laynie.

"It was great," she said with a nod. "But Thor was freaking me out. I swear he was about to bust into one of those cages. Most terrifying," she said in her best imitation of the man's voice.

Carter bit her lip to keep from laughing. "I'm really glad I didn't stay in there."

"Thor can be... strange. But, he's a fun guy to have around." Bruce smiled at the two girls.

"He's definitely not of this realm," she said, imitating him again.

Bruce laughed.

The three of them caught up to the rest of the group, who were already moving on from the giraffes. Next stop was the polar bears, which Thor thankfully did not threaten to wrestle.

"Ey Cap," Tony said with a smirk already on his face for what he was about to say. "Did you ever meet any polar bears with all your years as a capsicle?"

"I don't find that funny, Tony."

Everybody else did, but kept to themselves.

By the time the group made it all the way through the zoo, it was past lunch time but before dinner. Pepper suggested they get a snack and wait to have dinner later, but Tony gently pushed the idea aside in exchange for the idea that they go and eat somewhere special.

"So, does anybody know of a good restaurant?" Tony asked to no one in particular. "I don't really go out to eat often... so yeah. Suggestions are welcome."

After hesitating for a few moments, Carter spoke up, "I know a place not far from here. It's kinda small, but I've been going for a while. We could probably walk from here if you wanted to." She offered quietly.

Most everyone was surprised by her speaking up. That was when Tony said, "Sure. Lead the way."

Carter nodded slowly before leading them out of the zoo. Outside, she looked around trying to decide which way to go. "It's this way." She told them and led them away.

"What exactly is this place we're going?" Pepper asked curiously.

"Um, it's a restaurant owned by some family friends." Carter replied.

Tony shrugged. "What kind of food do they serve?"

"It's barbecue. I thought that would be pretty normal."

Tony nodded. "Okay, I'm good with that. Anybody have a problem with barbecue?" He turned to the rest of the group.

No complaints were found and the group continued on their trek to the restaurant.

Finally, they came to a small building in downtown New York City. Carter pushed open the front door.

"Carter!" A voice called.

Carter grinned.

A large man came out of the kitchen. He smiled. "Hey, it's been a while." He pulled the small girl into a hug. "I heard about your parents, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Mark." Carter said, hugging the man back.

He nodded and pulled away. Mark looked up at the group standing behind her. "Um, Carter you do realize that you just brought the Avengers into my restaurant, right?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, can we get a table?"

He nodded slowly. "Of course..." The man quickly told two of the waiters to put some tables together, so the whole group could sit together.

"Thanks Mark." Carter smiled brightly.

"No problem, shortie." He winked and ruffled her hair. "Somebody will be over in a few minutes to get your order."

As Mark told them, a waiter came by after just a little waiting and took their order.

After the waiter had come and gone, Bruce asked, "How long have you known Mark?"

"Since I was born, he was a friend of my parents." Carter answered. "He owns the place, along with his wife."

No more questions were asked after that and everyone started to talk amongst themselves.

"Hot stuff coming through!" A female voice shouted.

Carter laughed and looked behind her.

A woman and a few other waiters were coming to their table with their food. Quickly, each plate was placed in front of someone.

"And for my favorite person," The woman said, placing a plate in front of Carter.

"Hey Jennifer." Carter smiled.

"Hey sweetie," The woman, Jennifer, bent down to hug the girl. "So sorry about your parents."

"It's like I told Mark, it's all good." She smiled a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Jennifer nodded sympathetically. "Tell me if you need anything." She said to the rest of the group.

"Of course." Pepper answered. "Thank you so much."

"No problem." Jennifer said, before walking back to the kitchen.

Once everyone had downed their meals, it was back to Stark Tower. The first thing Tony did was walk into the living room and crash onto the couch, where he promptly began snoring. Pepper went to do the dishes and Bruce decided to help her, and everyone else seemed to disappear. Laynie and Carter both changed out of their clothes into pajamas and laid across the floor and bed of Laynie's room, since Carter's door was still out of commission.

"Today wasn't so bad, was it?" Laynie asked from the floor.

Carter shrugged. "I guess not, and it was nice seeing Mark and Jennifer."

"I think if you would just quit hiding in your room, that you would see that they're good people. I mean, how you didn't get that from the fact that they've saved the world on multiple occasions puzzles me, but they're good people even underneath their masks. I know you're still grieving, and I am too... but we can't just hide under our pillows forever and ignore the world around us. It's horrible, but even though our parents died the world goes on."

The other girl looked away from her friend in guilt. "Well, it's not as if I can really hide in my room anymore. You know, because the door's gone and all."

Laynie sighed. "Carter, be serious for a second."

"Fine, I'll try to get along with them. Just stop lecturing me, you're my friend, not my mom."

"I'm not lecturing! I'm trying to help because I'm worried about you. Two weeks of this is enough, it can't go on like this... Besides," she continued quietly, "if I don't do it, nobody will."

Carter rolled her eyes. "I promise I'll try. Okay?"

"Yeah. I'll hold you to it."

Carter smirked and threw a pillow at Laynie's face. "I wouldn't expect any less from you."

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_**Lartovio:**__ Yay for socialization! No, not really. I would rather sit in my room huddled in front of my computer writing, but it is good for them. And most other humans. Anyway. Thank you guys for reviewing! We're always super happy and excited to see what you have to say, even when it's super simple. *hugs*_

_**WayToDawn:**__ DA ZOO. I hate the zoo. And most things outside... Meh. Thank you reviewers! We really appreciate it. And also thank you to everyone who favorited and followed. :) Next... Carter and Laynie go back to school. Should be fun._


	7. Chapter Six: Here's Tammy!

Laynie was the first to wake on Monday morning, listening to Jarvis repeatedly ask her to get up.

"Jarvis?" She looked over at her clock. It read 6:31. "What are you doing?"

"Good morning Miss Combs, it is Monday, you will be late for your first day back at school if you do not get up."

"Crap!" she shouted, rolling out of bed. "Crap, crap, crap!" She threw open the door and ran across the hall into Carter's room, pushing aside the blanket Pepper had tacked up as a makeshift door. She shoved her friend on the shoulder a few times, shouting when she cracked an eye open, "Carter, it's Monday!"

"Your point being?" Carter asked tiredly.

"We go back to school today!"

Carter's eyes were wide open now. "Crap! Our teachers will kill us if we're late the first day back!"

"Basically! Get up, get up!"

She threw back the covers of her bed and shoved Laynie out of the room.

Laynie called to Jarvis, "What time does the bus come around?"

"The bus does not come by this way, I believe Miss Potts had intentions of driving you," the British AI answered.

"Ah man," she muttered, scouring the room for clothes.

Laynie and Carter were barely ready in time, and still had to locate Pepper. It turned out that she had been called into a meeting, and Steve was the only other Avenger available.

Both girls burst into the living area, Carter still pulling on her shoes while trying to walk. "Laynie slow down!"

"Are you two okay?" Steve asked.

Carter and Laynie were about to the elevator. "We're late for school." Carter answered quickly.

"I can drive you," he offered politely.

"No than-"

"Yes!" Laynie shouted, cutting off her unreasonable friend. "That would be great, Mr. Rogers."

Carter slapped a hand to her face in exasperation. "Fine, but we've got to go now!" She gestured to the elevator.

Steve jumped up from his chair, following the two girls. As they walked through the lobby of the tower, Laynie cautiously approached him.

"Um, sir, you do know how to drive, right?"

He gave her a look. "I'm not that old."

Carter scoffed at her friend's naive question. "Nice Laynie."

"It was a valid question," she hissed.

Steve led them to his car. "You go to Midtown High, right?"

"Yes," Carter answered, slipping into the backseat behind Laynie.

The girls were sure that he exceeded the speed limit by over twenty miles the entire time. Laynie attempted to reassure him that they weren't that late, but he insisted they were fine.

He stopped suddenly in front of the school.

Carter threw open the door, obviously happy that the car ride was over. Laynie was quick to get out after.

"Oh my gosh, he's more insane than I thought," Laynie whispered to her friend as they walked into the school. "But at least we're on time."

Carter nodded in agreement. "Yeah... Well, I've got to get to homeroom. See you later?"

"Yeah!"

The friends met later on as promised, sitting together during lunch.

"How was it?" Carter asked.

"Eh. Just like I remember. Maybe a little more dull." Laynie put her head on the table. "I don't wanna be here," she moaned.

Carter shrugged. "It'll get better. I'm sure."

"Did you hear about Carter Beckett's parents?" The two heard someone whisper from another table. They must not have known the girl they gossiped about sat so close.

"Yeah, I heard they died in a car crash or something."

"It's sad. I mean, as if she didn't have enough problems..."

Laynie tapped her friend's hand. "Don't listen to them. You should know better by now, it's all just gossip. Stupid teenagers being stupid."

Carter threw her sandwich back onto her plate. "I just don't see how it's any of their business." She stood and went to throw away her food. Walking past Laynie she said, "I'm not hungry anymore."

Laynie sighed. Carter had always let other people get to her far too much. And Laynie could only filter so much of it for her. "At least sit with me while I finish eating?"

Turning around to answer Laynie, Carter bumped into someone.

"Watch it!"

Carter stepped and found it to be none other Tammy Simpson. I am not in the mood to deal with this girl today. She thought, inwardly groaning.

"Oh look who it is." Tammy said mockingly, "Didn't expect you to be back so soon. I thought you would still be out of school after the breakdown you had."

The day word got to the girls about their parents death, they were at school. Neither had taken it well, but Carter least of all.

It pained Laynie to remain where she sat and watch, but on previous occasions similar to this, she'd only ended up getting Carter into more trouble with the bullies when she stepped in.

"I'm really not in the mood Tammy." Carter growled.

Tammy smirked. "I'm a bit jealous of your parents, at least they don't have to look at you anymore. The rest of us aren't so lucky."

Laynie saw the look on Carter's face. "Carter, don't-"

She was cut off by Carter punching the girl in the face. "Shut up!"

The whole cafeteria went silent.

"Carter, walk away," Laynie ordered.

She ignored the order and looked down at the teenage girl sprawled out of the floor, a bewildered expression on her face. "You don't know me, you didn't know my parents. So just, shut up." Carter ground out.

Tammy, who obviously hadn't learned her lesson, said, "I have to wonder if your parents really died or just abandoned you, who would want a daughter like you?!" She shouted at Carter.

Before Carter could bring down her fist again, Laynie had a grip on her elbow. "Carter, she is not worth it." The words were directed to her friend, but she sneered at Tammy the entire time she spoke. "She's just a lowlife who can't find a way to entertain her small brain without making other people feel bad."

Carter took a deep breath, composing herself. "You're right." She looked down at Tammy and grudgingly held out a hand to help her up.

The girl took her hand, but as Carter was pulling her up, she hauled off and punched Carter sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

Laynie shouted at Tammy, trying desperately to drag the girls off of each other and failing. Soon enough, a teacher came and broke up the fight, ordering all three of the girls to the principal's office.

Carter was leaning on Laynie for support as all three girls were escorted to the principal's office by a teacher. "Thanks Layn."

She sighed. "You're welcome."

Once school was over the girls found Pepper waiting outside.

"I'm so sorry about this morning, girls. It won't happen again. I'm just glad Steve was able to drive you," she said as they got into the back of the car. She turned in her seat and was faced with a very battered Carter and tired-looking Laynie. "Oh... Goodness, what happened to you two?"

"Laynie accidently hit me in the face with her locker. She didn't know that I was so close." Carter lied, before Laynie would try to stutter through a lame excuse.

Pepper coughed, obviously trying to hide a laugh. "Well, be more careful."

Both friends gave each other a look of relief as the woman seemed to believe the lie.

The last of the day was pretty uneventful. They ate a take-out dinner with the rest of the Avengers and all retreated to their spaces afterward. Carter and Laynie finished their homework around nine, sitting in Carter's room behind her newly installed door.

"It's nice to have a door again." Carter mused, holding an ice pack to her sore eye.

"Hm, if only you could see it better."

Carter looked over to Laynie and grinned. "Do I resemble Director Fury?"

"Oh yes, the resemblance is remarkable."

They both laughed.

"So, the principal did say that if I got into another fight this week I'd be serving Saturday detention for the next three weeks, right?" Carter asked Laynie.

"Yeah," she answered quietly. "And I would really like it if you wouldn't get into another fight."

"I'll try not to. But, no promises." Carter said honestly, "You know how much Tammy and her moronic friends like to antagonize me."

"You don't have to acknowledge them at all, you could just pretend like they don't exist. Carter, you know how much I hate it when you get into fights."

"I know, I know. Sometimes, I just can't help it." Carter frowned.

Laynie made an aggravated noise, pulling herself up so she could see her friend over the edge of the bed. "You have to try! It's called willpower." Laynie wasn't angry with Carter, but she was a little exasperated in the least.

"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one who's normally the target of the jokes and gossip. For the most part, they leave you alone."

"That's because I ignore them," she deadpanned. "If you just stopped encouraging them, you would have it a lot easier. The reason Tammy still made fun of you after you hit her was because she wanted to see her words get to you. If you had just walked away, she might have called you a couple of names, yeah, but now you look like an easy target." Laynie laid back across the floor. "That's all."

Carter sighed. "Look, can we try and conquer one problem at a time? I'm really trying to get along with the people here. It's hard enough without trying to ignore Tammy as well."


	8. Chapter Seven: Homework and the Hawk

After some hesitation, Carter decided to do her homework out in a more public place, so as to please Laynie. She looked around the living area slowly and found that no one was there, so she took her school books and plopped down in the middle of the floor.

_Oh, algebra, how I hate you._ She thought to herself as she flipped through her book for the appropriate chapter. _And the worst part is, I still have to catch up for those two weeks I was out of school._

For an hour or so, the girl struggled to finish each page.

"Carter?"

Carter looked up despondently and found Natasha looking at her, an incredulous look on her face. "Yes?"

"Sorry, just didn't expect to see you out here..." Natasha answered with a small smile.

Carter shrugged. "I thought it would be nice to do some homework somewhere other than my room... I was wrong. It's not anymore pleasant out here than in there." She nodded her head in the direction of her room.

Natasha took a step closer, looking at the girl's homework. "Math is never pleasant."

"Got that right." Carter scoffed, as she erased another badly done equation.

"I'd offer to help, but there are a couple rocket scientists that would be of more assistance to you just down the hallway." She sat down on the couch behind Carter.

"Erm, I'll pass. If I do that, I'd probably feel even stupider than I feel now."

Natasha laughed shortly. "I won't blame you for that one." She continued to watch as Carter tried to figure out a few more problems. "I will tell you though, if you do need help, Bruce would be your best bet."

Carter looked up at the woman. "Yeah, thanks." She smiled lightly.

"No problem." Natasha stood from the couch. "And if you ever need anything, or maybe just want to talk, I'm here."

The girl nodded. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

And with that being said, Natasha left to do who knows what.

Carter, on the other hand, decided to seek out Bruce for help. She figured it couldn't hurt to try.

Laynie knocked gently on the door of Clint Barton, then knocked louder. He still didn't answer. She hesitated before knocking again, then walked halfway back to her room before walking back and knocking firmly one more time.

"He's not in there."

Laynie jumped and turned to find Natasha standing in her doorway, located across from Clint's. "Gosh, Natasha, you scared the crap out of me. Where's he at then?"

"Up on the roof. He enjoys living up to his nickname. That, and avoiding everyone else." Natasha flashed her a smirk. "Good luck getting up there."

Laynie watched Natasha's now shut door with widened eyes. Still determined to accomplish her mission of finding Clint, though, she went to the elevator and went as high as it would take her. She was confronted with a very empty floor, with a couch or two and a few _very dead_ potted plants placed haphazardly around the room. She went to the small set of unfinished stairs and scaled them cautiously, lifting a hatch on the roof when she came to it.

Suddenly the wind was whipping around what little hair she did have, and the sunlight fairly blinded her. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she climbed up and looked around. The roof was covered with gravel.

Still, Clint was nowhere to be seen. Just when Laynie was about to give up, she noticed an antenna off to the left with her target perched happily on the circular grate around the top.

She groaned loudly. "I know what Natasha meant now. But I can't climb that, I'm afraid of heights..." Laynie wasn't sure how she would climb it either. It was narrow, and it looked as though the only way to get up would either be to shimmy or levitate. And since she was neither a monkey nor a superhuman, there wasn't any point in trying.

"Hey! Laynie!"

She looked up, and Clint was climbing down. "Oh thank goodness."

"What's up?" he asked, standing a few feet away from her still.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Natasha said I might find you here."

"Ratted out by my own partner. Well, what do you want?"

"Just..." Laynie looked at the ground, kicking up some gravel. "I wanted to ask you to go easy on Carter. She's being rude, I know, but she's a good girl. She'll come around, but she already kinda dislikes you for the act of knocking her door down."

Clint blinked. "Um, okay."

"Thanks. Well, I'm going back downstairs..."

"Hey Laynie, I'm sorry if I upset either of you."

She smiled up at the archer. "S'okay."

**_Author's_****_Notes_****:**

_Lartovio: Heeey, filler chapter! No seriously. But. Anyway. In the next chapter we have actual PLOT STUFF. *le gasp* It gets intense. And amazing. And dangerous. We need reviews to keep us going though! C'MON REVIEW PEOPLES!_

_WayToDawn: New chapter, yay! Thanks to everyone who faved and followed! We appreciate it. And the next chapter will be posted soon. So keep an eye out for it. :) And REVIEW. That is all. Bye!_


	9. Chapter Eight: Costco

After coming back from school the next day, Laynie and Carter learned of Steve, Bruce, Thor, and Natasha's plans to go to Costco. And that they had to go with them.

"And why do we have to go to Costco with you all?" Carter asked lazily from the couch. Over the past few days, Carter had opened up and made herself at home in Stark Tower.

"Because Clint is on a mission and Pepper and Tony are working. You can't stay here alone." Natasha answered, pulling on her coat.

Carter sighed. "Okay, fine." She pushed herself up off the couch.

The group went to the garage and piled into Steve's car. It was a bit crowded, but once Laynie volunteered to sit on the floor at Carter's feet, everybody fit alright. Natasha simply chose to ignore the fact that she couldn't legally be down there.

Only a little while later, they were pulling into the parking lot.

Carter followed Laynie out of the car and quickly jumped on her back. The Avengers came to find that this was normal behavior for the two. Piggy back rides, off-key singing at the strangest moments, prank offs and 'scaring the living daylights' out of people as Steve liked to say.

Laynie piggy backed Carter into the Costco and very literally dropped her on her butt.

"Ow..." Carter moaned and stood up slowly.

"Geez, Carter, you're getting heavier." She had a playful smirk on her face that she couldn't have hidden if she had tried.

"Is that a fat joke?" Carter asked in mock offense.

"I hardly doubt anyone could get away with calling either of you fat." Bruce said with a small smile.

Carter shrugged. "It's happened before."

"Really?" Natasha asked, grabbing a cart before leading the group deeper into the store.

"High schoolers are cruel."

"I can't argue with that logic." She pulled down one of the aisles and dragged down a large box of cookies.

A few minutes and a large amount of boxes of cookies and bags of potato chips later, Carter said, "You people really like your junk food, huh?"

"'Tis like a taste of mortal heaven upon the tongue, Carter!" Thor bellowed. "I care not for the nutritional value."

"That's a pretty legit explanation," Laynie told her friend. eyebrows raised.

Walking past a shelf, Thor grabbed a can pallet of cheese in a can. "Natasha! The last time we bought these it gave me much pleasure! Another?!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, toss it in the cart."

After that, Natasha told the girls to go find some things they like so they'd have some more to eat at Stark Tower.

"Okay," Carter nodded and dragged Laynie away with her.

The girls walked back and forth down some aisles for a few minutes and that's when Carter saw a ladder leading up to the rafters of the store. "Hey Laynie, look." She pointed to the ladder with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Laynie tried not to crack a grin. "Carter, we would get in so much trouble."

"Only if we get caught," Carter countered, already placing a foot on the bottom most rung.

"Ooh, Carter, that is just a bad idea." She started to climb up after her. "This is a bad idea. Very bad idea. Blame is on you."

Carter looked back over her shoulder and stuck a tongue out at her. "You sound like a broken record. Can't you just let loose and have some fun every once in a while?"

"Nope." Even though she knew that they would get in trouble, she kept on climbing after her bad example of a friend. "Carter wait for me," she hissed.

Carter finally reached the top and stepped onto the catwalk at the top. She helped Laynie up and looked down curiously. "Hey, there's Bruce and Thor," She pointed down at the frozen food section. "Why am I not surprised?" She wondered aloud as Thor pulled out ten or so frozen pizzas.

"I am a little surprised. I thought Thor had more tastebuds than to eat frozen pizza. But I think that guy could eat dirt that went by a fancy name and shout 'ANOTHER'." Laynie looked around from their sky-high view and gulped. "Hey Carter."

"Hm?" Carter hummed, leaning over the railing looking for Steve and Natasha. Mostly to try and keep out of their sight as she knew they would get in major trouble if they were found on the catwalk.

"I am terrified of heights. We are going to get in trouble,_ if we don't die first._"

Carter pushed off the railing and rolled her eyes. "I think you're being a little too dramatic, Laynie." Suddenly, a bullet out of nowhere whizzed right by Laynie's head. "Or not." Carter squeaked.

Both girls looked around in fear, eventually they spotted a leather-clad man across from them on the other catwalk.

"Time to go," Carter grabbed Laynie's hand and started dragging her further down the catwalk.

Bullets were heard clanging against the metal bars.

"What's that?" Steve asked, down on ground level with Natasha. He looked up to the ceiling and spotted Carter and Laynie running across the catwalk. "And what are they doing up there?"

Natasha looked up and saw them too. But also saw the men shooting at them. "Getting into trouble. That's what they're doing." She pulled out her concealed gun.

Steve was already to the ladder the girls climbed up. That's when another man started shooting at him. Grunting lightly, he pulled himself up the rest of the way and pulled out his own gun. He took aim and pulled the trigger.

The man fell over onto his side, fortunately not falling off the catwalk onto ground level. That would cause unnecessary trouble for them. Not that they didn't already have that.

Steve turned and started running toward Carter and Laynie, hoping to catch up to them before somebody else did. He around and saw that Thor was already climbing a ladder farther down. "Thank God."

"Why are they shooting at us?" Carter shouted fearfully.

Just as Steve began to give his answer, Laynie screamed. She was several steps behind them both, teetering on the edge of the unrailed catwalk. Steve ran forward to catch her, but was too late. Laynie fell backward, and Carter didn't hear another sound out of her.

"Keep running," Steve ordered.

"Bu-" Carter started to protest.

"_Now Carter_," Steve said firmly, pushing the girl.

More shots were fired, and Steve dodged them all easily. He and Carter reached another ladder and Steve ordered Carter to go down. She obeyed immediately, climbing downwards as quickly as she could. Just as she reached the bottom, another shot fired. She fell the last couple feet, having been finally hit in the leg.


	10. Chapter Nine

Laynie closed her eyes as she fell, and didn't open them until a few minutes later. She was being jostled around heavily, and she felt half-awake. When her eyes popped open and adjusted, she found that she was being carried by a running Bruce Banner.

"Bruce?" she asked, distress evident in her voice.

He nodded, not looking down for a second.

He seemed to be straining every muscle in his body, face included. His teeth were grit tightly, and his eyebrows almost concealed his eyes. "Bruce, I'm safe," Laynie said soothingly, knowing immediately what was going on. She turned her head slightly and found the exit not far away, and two more leather-clad mercenary-type men standing guard there. "Bruce, turn around!"

He didn't obey her. Instead, he hulked out.

On the other side of the store, Natasha had thrown Carter over her shoulders in a fireman's carry. The girl was nearly in tears at the pain in her leg.

"What's happening?" Carter shouted at her.

Natasha quickly hid behind a large stack of boxes and brought the girl off her shoulders. She ignored her and said, "Stay here." Whipping out her gun once again, she ran off to help Steve, Thor, and Bruce, who were currently attacking the men attacking them.

Carter bit her lip as the pain of the bullet in her leg became evident to her. Clutching it tightly, she whimpered. _These must be the people Director Fury was talking about. The people Mom and Dad were dealing with. _The thought of her parents made the tears burning in her eyes fall. I wish they were here. Before the thoughts could go much farther she pushed them to the back of her mind and looked cautiously around the corner of the boxes Natasha laid her behind.

She searched anxiously hoping to find some sign that her friend was alive. A sigh of relief came from her mouth when she saw Laynie laying on the floor behind Steve, who was fighting off two men.

Laynie made eye contact with her, and she instantly brightened. It seemed that both girls had thought the other dead or injured. She began cautiously crawling toward Carter, ducking behind boxes as she went. Once she was a safe distance from the fight, she ran, standing in a hunched position so as not to be seen over boxes.

"Oh God," she said upon seeing her friend's leg. "Carter, did you get shot?"

She nodded, gripping it tighter as the pain came to the front of her mind again.

Laynie signaled for her to remain right where she was and ran off into another isle. She took a giant package of paper towels out of an abandoned cart and tore the plastic with her teeth, grabbing one roll before running back to her friend. A bullet ricocheted off the metal shelves and nearly hit her. She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming and giving away their position.

Sliding into a crouch near her friend, she tore off ten sheets of paper towel and folded them tightly, pressing on the general area of the bullet wound. "Sorry Carter, sorry. I'm going to put this inside your jeans so we can move. We need to get out and I know where the emergency exit is."

Though Carter protested through tears, she shoved it inside the hole in her jeans the bullet had made and secured it with a couple other sheets, tied in a knot to keep the makeshift compress there. She pulled Carter to her feet and supported her as she hopped on one leg alongside Laynie.

They hobbled toward the exit carefully, keeping watch for anyone else who may want to hurt them. They were only a few feet away when two men jumped down from some shelving.

"Really?!" Carter growled. "Not this again."

But, before the two men could even raise their guns, a large hammer flew at them, knocking them both into a wall.

And that was when Thor appeared. He held out a hand. The hammer came flying back and he curled his fingers around the handle. "Go now, we will take care of these brutes." He told the two girls.

Without a second thought, they ran out the emergency exit. Ambulances were already outside tending to anyone who was injured in the crossfire.

A paramedic ran over to them, "Let me help." She went to grab Carter's other arm.

"We've got it handled, thank you." A man's voice said.

Director Fury was the source of the voice. Behind him sat a vehicle that looked like an ambulance, but was being managed by SHIELD agents.

The SHIELD agents quickly grabbed Carter and pulled her to the vehicle. Laying her down on the gurney inside, they started to take off the makeshift bandages.

"What happened?" Director Fury asked with a grimace.

"Thor and Steve-"

"They're the Avengers. This is their job. They can handle it," the man said.

Laynie sighed, her shoulders falling forward. Her mind still felt hazy from passing out while falling, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt weak at the knees again. She sat down on the asphalt and looked up at Director Fury, who was already crouching down beside her.

"They just came out of nowhere and started shooting at us. I think they might be the people who... Mom." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm scared," she admitted. Her head suddenly snapped up as the SHIELD-staffed ambulance drove away. "Wait! Carter! Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine, Laynie. They can't care for her here."

"She's all alone..."

"She won't be conscious much longer anyway. I promise, I will have somebody escort you to the helicarrier the moment they allow visitors. For now, let's get you back to Pepper and Tony. The rest will be with us shortly."

"Is it safe there anymore? I mean, even with the Avengers around..."

He held out a hand and helped her off the ground, guiding her to their car. "I have had a twenty four hour guard placed around the building. The Avengers will now be working double time as well, they will always have a weapon nearby. Do not worry about your safety, we won't allow harm to come to you."

"Okay," she said numbly.

They slid into the back seat of a car.

"On another note, the social services have narrowed down your father's location to New Mexico."

"They're looking for my_ dad_?" Laynie spat, giving him a shocked look.

"Of course. He is the next immediate member of your family. If they find that his living conditions are suitable, you will be placed with him and he will take custody." He looked at her out of the corner of his good eye. "Will that be a problem, Miss Combs?"

She crossed her arms, thinking better of arguing with him. She tried to dig up some of the things she would say to Carter when she was tempted to punch somebody.


	11. Chapter Ten

Laynie went directly to her room after getting back to Stark Tower. Pepper came in not ten minutes later and sat on the bed. She placed a hand on the girl's shaking shoulder. Laynie turned into Pepper, and was overjoyed to have Pepper hug her back and speak comforting words.

It's just how her mother would have reacted to the situation.

"What can I do for you sweetheart?" Pepper asked, running her fingers through Laynie's short hair.

"I'm okay," she said unsteadily. "I'm going to go get something to drink."

The two redheads stood and left the room, heading into the kitchen. Laynie pulled a pitcher of sweet tea out of the refrigerator and poured herself half a glass. She slumped into a chair at the island and started playing on her phone.

"I've got to get back to work, but Tony's in the living room, and there are guards outside the suite, just shout if anything is wrong." Pepper gave her a smile before rushing out the door.

Laynie was suddenly very glad to have Pepper. She was filling in the empty space her mother had left in her heart. It was slow, and there was still a gaping hole Pepper couldn't ever fill, but she couldn't deny its existence.

_Hey Carter, worried about you. Text me when you feel up to it._ Laynie clicked the send button on the phone, then set it to the side. She had a feeling the message wouldn't be read anytime soon, but she was anxious to hear the status of her friend.

Suddenly a hand was roughly placed on her head. She startled before turning and seeing Tony. He gave her a half-smile as he ruffled her hair.

"Oh hey Tony, you scared me."

"Yeah, that much was obvious." He walked around the island and began rooting through the fridge. "I heard that the social services found your dad, you must be happy about that." He pulled out a tupperware container and inspected the contents closely, throwing it in the sink after a moment of scrutiny.

"Not really," she muttered. "I never really knew my dad. All I know about him for sure is that he up and left me and my mom, that's all I need to know."

Tony decided on a greasy paper box of chinese takeout leftovers, placing it in the microwave. "Don't judge a book by another person's bad experience with it." He paused and smiled, proud of himself for the analogy.

"Um, isn't that contradictory to the learn from other people's mistakes thing?"

He frowned, then shrugged. "Forget the analogy. Just don't mark off your dad as a bad guy yet."

"I don't need him," Laynie said unhappily.

"You're starting to sound like Carter. Who, by the way, is out of surgery. I do have to-" Tony cursed loudly as the metal handle on his chinese box caused the box to burst into flames. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the box, moaning about his poor leftovers. He gave up on the pursuit of an afternoon snack and sat down beside Laynie instead. "Look, you do need him now. You certainly can't live here forever, and he's your best bet. Just don't hate him before you meet him."

"'Kay," she grumbled.

"That done, I'm going down to my workshop and you have to come with me."

She internally groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was go down there and listen to him drone on and on about his latest Iron Man. She was almost sure that's how it would go. "Let me grab some stuff."

Laptop tucked under her arm, Laynie willingly followed him down to the basement of Stark Tower, also known as Tony's workshop.

The workshop looked just like Laynie expected it to, cluttered with pieces of armor and blueprints, empty coffee mugs, and surprisingly, a lot of clothes.

"If it's free of crap you can sit on it," Tony said, waving a hand at his vast playhouse of mechanics.

Laynie chose a spot on the floor near an electrical outlet and plugged her laptop in. She spent thirty minutes playing a game before she became bored and sought out Tony. It took a minute to find him, eventually just following the stream of cussing and finding him half inside the chest piece of a new Iron Man armor.

She tapped the arc reactor on the suit with her knuckles. "Stuck?"

He startled and hit his head on the back of the suit, also dropping a wrench directly onto Laynie's sandaled feet.

They both shouted in pain at the same time, one taking a step away from the armor and the other trying to get himself out of it.

"God, kid, don't do that. You could have gotten us both blasted to smithereens or something."

"Yeah I'm sure I could have," Laynie spat, a little more spitefully than she meant to. She was doubled over, clutching at her damaged toes.

Tony gave his hair a ruffle, then sighed and eased himself onto the ground in front of her. He pulled a first aid kit out from under a nearby tool rack.

Laynie tried to calm herself down as he rummaged through for what he was looking for. She still couldn't wrap her mind around all that had happened that day. Falling from the top of Costco, seeing her friend shot in the leg, knowing that her dad was still out there. She was exhausted and wanted nothing other than a good nap, but instead she was stuck with Tony. She was trying not to be irritable, but she had already passed irritable and crossed into silently raging.

She sucked in a breath through her teeth as he dabbed alcohol on her bleeding toes. "I'm sorry I startled you."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." After he tossed aside the alcohol wipe, he dried them off and carefully wrapped a bandaid around each one that was injured. "Up to date on your tetanus shots?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

He shoved the first aid kit back where it came from and stood up, turning to pick up the offending wrench. "I'm not used to being around children. Fury shouldn't have sent you two here."

Laynie moved an empty coffee cup off an old diner-style plastic covered stool and sat down on it, wiggling her toes to see that they functioned properly. "We really aren't children. I mean, we act like it, but my mom used to tell us that we're way ahead of other kids our age... Didn't you ever think about having kids?"

"No interest," he replied dully.

"Me neither. Maybe it's because, even though my mom loved me, I never had a properly functioning family life." Laynie looked down at her feet, putting her hands on the seat of the chair and spinning it round. "I, um, my dad left before I could remember. I don't know what he looks like except for a couple old pictures. And my mom was always on a mission of some sort. I spent a lot more time on the Hellicarrier than I should have." She swallowed hard. "My mom hated that too."

Tony gazed at the girl. He wasn't angry or sympathetic, just curious. Maybe a little saddened. "You're so serious for such a young person. I'm three times your age and I can't take life so seriously sometimes."

Laynie laughed. Even though it was sometimes annoying, Tony's tenacity to be passive was a relief at the moment. "Yeah, but that's a good thing. You don't care about the bad stuff as much. You make others around you happy with your joking around. I mean, other than the people who don't understand your sarcasm. I just nag all the time."

"Y'see, the thing is, I do care about the bad stuff." He rapped a few knuckles on the armor behind him and gave a lopsided smile. "I just have this. I get to beat the living snot out of bad all the time, so it's an easier thought to carry that it's out there."

"Hm. That does make sense," she remarked quietly. "I wish I had a way to fight bad. Even if it was just getting the bullies at school off the other kids' backs."

Tony put away his tools and sat down in an identical stool near Laynie. "Do you and Carter have a problem with bullies?"

"No," she said all too quickly.

He gave her a sideways glance that suggested he thought _BS_, but didn't say anything to that effect. "Well if you ever do, any one of us would be willing to help you with that. But I would differ to Pep, you should see her scold a kid." He laughed. "It's scary."

Laynie smiled and nodded.

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_Lartovio: Heeeey! Laynie and Tony getting along a bit. Tony actually does have a heart for children! I want to thank you guys for all the amazing reviews too! They make my day every time :)_

_WayToDawn: Oh noes, fights in Costco, people getting shot, WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT? And more heart to hearts with our favorite superheroes! Woohoo! :) Thanks for all the reviews we really appreciate them! Keep 'em coming! :D_


	12. Chapter Eleven

_When am I gonna get out of here?_ Carter thought in absolute boredom. Her phone was dead, there were no normal books on the helicarrier, and nobody she knew was around. Then again, it shouldn't really bother me. It's not like mom and dad didn't leave to be alone every time they left for a mission.

So, Carter had taken to staring at the ceiling._ I wish Laynie was here, she always knows how to cheer me up._ That's when she heard the door to the medical bay slide open with a hiss.

She looked up and found the one person she wanted to see least of all.

Steve Rogers had walked in. "How are you feeling?" He asked in concern, sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

"Good, up until the point that you came in." She grumbled.

Steve scowled. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd like some company. I'll just leave." He stood and went to leave the room.

Carter eyes widened in realization of what was happening. "Wait!" He turned curiously. "Wait, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." As much as she didn't like the man, she hated being alone more. "Please stay."

Steve nodded and sat again.

The two sat in silence, Carter twiddling her thumbs, and Steve suddenly taking incredible interest in the floor.

"How's your leg?" Steve asked, shattering the awkward silence between them.

"Good. I'm on drugs so it doesn't hurt as much." Carter answered quickly.

"That's good."

"Yep."

"Miss Carter, I don't know if I have done something to make you upset, but know that if I have it was completely unintentional. Also, I would like to apologize." Steve met her eyes with his serious stare.

Carter bit her lip. "It's not your fault. It was just me being a pain."

Choosing his words carefully, he asked, "Why exactly were you so upset with me?"

She sighed. "It wasn't you specifically. I don't like new people. And my parent's death, being taken away from my home, and shoved into a place I didn't know with people I didn't know wasn't exactly helping matters."

"But, you don't seem upset with most of the others anymore." Steve pointed out.

"Well, I guess it's because even with my attitude they still chose to approach me. Kinda like you and I'm guessing Clint, people mostly take my behavior and write me off as some bratty teenager with anger issues." Carter explained. "I'm really sorry." She repeated.

Steve shook his head. "All is forgiven. You know, SHIELD has offered both of you therapy. It isn't a bad idea. Nobody would laugh at you."

Carter frowned. "No, I don't need therapy."

Smiling grimly, Steve settled back into his chair. "That's what I told Director Fury when I woke up from the ice. Then after New York, they put all of us in therapy without room for argument. Even Tony went without too much fuss. I found out that I had a lot more problems to work through than I thought. Ever since then, I've been much more... At peace with myself. It might have been a little humbling at the time, but I feel better for it now."

Carter shook her head. "No." She fiddled with her sheets. "I'm not doing it, I'm sorry, but no." She didn't care to dig up memories of the past, or talk about her parent's death or anything else with some stupid therapist.

"I won't push it. I do recommend you consider it though. As a favor."

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_**Lartovio:**_ _Not much to say here other than THANKS SO MUCH CALLIEANDJACK FOR ALL THE BEAUTIFUL REVIEWS! And everybody else, too! We're always so excited to see them, we're really feeling the love._

_**WaytoDawn:**_ _I think Carter and Steve are finally starting to see eye-to-eye. Yay! :) thank you everyone for the reviews, I LOVE THEM AND WILL TREASURE FOR ALWAYS AND FOREVER. Enjoy!_


	13. Chapter Twelve

Laynie and Carter were both excused from the next week of school due to their rather traumatic experience, and the fact that they were always in danger. So, Laynie woke up the morning after and went to see her best friend. She tried to drag Tony along with her, but it was a day off for him and he refused to budge. Instead, Bruce quite willingly escorted her to the hospital.

She burst into the room, exclaiming, "Carter! I have arrived!" But upon seeing her friend still sleeping soundly, she laughed and quieted down.

Bruce came in behind Laynie and chuckled. "I can't say I didn't expect this. It's still only nine."

"She always has been one to take advantage of time to sleep... Should I wake her?"

"She's your friend, you decide." Bruce answered with a shrug and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"Well, she can't run after me to kill me, so I'll go ahead and wake her." Laynie approached the bed like a ninja, then jumped up slightly before landing inches from her sleeping friend. "Hey Carter, I'm here to rescue you from the boredom, and I brought your phone charger and favorite PJs!"

Carter's eyes popped open at the sudden noise. She looked over and saw the clock on the table next to her bed. She then turned to Laynie, and a low growl came from her lips. Grabbing the pillow out from under her head, she whacked Laynie across the head with it. "It's only nine in the morning! Why did you wake me up?!"

Laynie ran around the other side of the bed and sat down beside Bruce, well out of her incapacitated friend's reach. "Because I missed you and I was worried about you and I'm your best friend, so I have the right."

"That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard." Carter huffed.

Laynie pouted.

Bruce watched in amusement. "Calm down. Carter is supposed to be resting, I don't think her doctors will appreciate you riling her up."

"Yeah, geez Laynie. Stop being so disruptive." Carter smirked.

Laynie stuck her tongue out, then scooted to the edge of her chair. "So when did the doctor say you'll be able to go?"

"Either tonight or tomorrow morning." Carter replied with a smile.

"That's good." Laynie stared her friend down for a moment. "You know, you scared me half to death. That... that was just scary."

Carter shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's all over. I'm alive and I'm gonna be okay." She reassured her friend.

Laynie smiled. "You're right. That, and we got out of an entire week of school for it."

Laynie and Bruce had stayed with Carter the whole day, up until that night.

Carter had taken to asking whoever may enter her room when she'd be going home. Eventually, that led to her demanding to be released, and then to downright pleading with her doctors and nurses. Being confined to a bed overnight and for most of the next day had made her stir-crazy.

"Please! I can't stand to be stuck here any longer, I'll go crazy!" She cried out dramatically.

"There's no harm in being cautious, maybe you should stay one more night," Bruce tried to reason with her.

"I thought you were on my side!" Carter pouted.

"It was a flesh wound!" Laynie cried, taking her friend's side. "She'll be fine." She waved her hand toward Bruce, then gave the doctor a pleading look.

It wasn't as convincing as Carter's, but laying hers on top seemed to do the trick.

"Doctor Banner here can take care of any emergency situations," he said, finally relenting. "But you will be confined to either your bed or a wheelchair for at least a week. Am I understood, Miss Beckett?"

Crossing her arms with a huff, she answered, "Yes sir, I understand."

The doctor nodded approvingly before leaving the room.

Laynie bounced up and down in her seat. "Yay! Can I push you around in your wheelchair?"

Carter's face brightened at the thought, "Yeah!"

Bruce shook his head, knowing there was all kinds of trouble the two could get into with just a wheelchair.

Once the three of them returned to Stark Tower, Carter was given a warm welcome by all of the in-house Avengers. Natasha, Clint, Steve, Tony and Bruce all helped her get settled in and rearranged some things so that she could access them from her wheelchair, while Laynie pulled things down from high shelves in her room. Tony gave her a small handheld device that looked like a cellphone, except it didn't have a screen. There were several buttons on the front of it, and flashy -unnecessary- lights around the exterior.

"This button makes the Jarvis in the living room tell us something's wrong, and this one activates Jarvis." He demonstrated by pressing the button and telling Jarvis to do the hokey-pokey, to which Jarvis literally scoffed. Tony grinned. "That's the new sarcasm two point o I installed the other day."

Carter took the device and looked at curiously before looking up at Tony and smiling, "Thank you," She looked at the other Avengers and grinned sheepishly, "Thank you all for everything. I'm sorry I'm causing so much trouble though..."

"It's no trouble at all," Pepper said with a smile.

Everyone could see the difference in Carter's attitude since they were attacked the day before.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with everyone standing around staring at her, Carter said, "You know, I think I'm gonna go to my room for a little while..." She looked at Laynie who was standing beside her, "You wanna come?"

Laynie visibly brightened. "Sure!" She grabbed ahold of the wheelchair's handles and slowly pushed her friend down the carpeted hallway.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Carter moaned as she awoke the next morning. She turned to her side table and looked at the clock. "Why am I awake at seven?"

She tried to fall back asleep, but gave up only ten minutes later. Carefully, she swung her injured leg over the side of the bed. Looking around for her wheelchair, she finally found it. On the other side of the room. _Why did you put it so far away Laynie?_ She inwardly groaned. _Okay, so, either I'm going to have to risk further injury and hop on one leg to the wheelchair or... I'm gonna have to use Jarvis to ask for help._ Carter was about to get up and start hopping to the wheelchair, but then she thought of something very important. _If I do that and injure myself, Laynie's going to kill me. In a very painful way._ She sighed and grabbed the small device that Tony gave her the previous night.

After pressing the button, Jarvis said, "Miss Carter, do you require assistance?"

"Um, yeah, my wheelchair is kinda on the other side of the room and I need somebody to help me. Is anybody up?" She asked, a little uncomfortable talking to the disembodied voice.

"Of course, I will inform them of your current situation. Just a moment."

Well, I guess I just have to wait now. Carter sighed.

Less than a minute later, a booming voice could be heard outside the door. "Miss Carter! I have heard that you require assistance. I have come to help."

"Uh, thanks. Come on in..."

The door opened to reveal Thor. "What is it that you require?"

She pointed across the room to the wheelchair.

"Of course," He grabbed it and rolled it over to the bed. Offering Carter a hand, he helped her into the chair.

"I am glad I could be of assistance to you, Carter. How do you fare this morning?"

"I'm good. How are you?" She asked awkwardly. Though they had been there for a while, she hadn't really talked to Thor much.

"I am well!" he exclaimed with a smile. "It is certainly a pleasure to have you back here."

Carter was surprised when she heard that, "Oh... thanks." She looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Did I say something to offend you?" Thor asked, a nervous look on his face.

"No!" Carter shook her head vigorously, "No, of course not. You just surprised me that's all."

"In what way have I surprised you?" He asked curiously.

"I just didn't expect anybody to say what a 'pleasure' it is to have me back. Especially with how I was acting before. Which I wanna apologize for, by the way." She smiled up at him.

He waved one of his large hands. "All is forgiven, Carter. I know the pains of losing a family member."

The smile faded from her face and her gaze dropped to her lap. "Yeah..."

After a silent moment, Thor said thoughtfully, "I am sorry for bringing this subject to light, especially at what is such an early hour for you."

Carter shook her head. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"I will not, but it is evident that you may." He took a seat on her bed, looking her in the eye very seriously. "If you ever wish to talk about it, I will listen."

She looked up at him, "Why do you care about this? You barely know me..." She couldn't understand why he would say such a thing.

He had to think about his answer. "I feel as though I've known you for much longer than I have. This past week and a half has been much fun for me and my fellow Avengers. You and Laynie have brightened the house and turned it into a home. I care because you are one of us now. You know pain and trouble the same as any of us, if in a different way. There is a difference between you, your friend, and us Avengers. We have learned how to handle the pain and move on, while you and Laynie have yet to learn this skill. Allow us to help you, please."

She was quiet for a moment.

"Carter?" Thor inquired worriedly.

She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. "Thanks. I appreciate that." She looked up at him with a teary smile.

"Any time, Carter!"

* * *

**_Author's Notes:_**

_WayToDawn: THOR AND CARTER. So cute! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter. But, you should know we probably would not have this if it weren't for Lartovio being the voice of Thor. So, thanks Lartovio! :)_

_Lartovio: Aw shucks. :') I really had fun writing Thor all touchy-feely though, I think he's one of my favorite Avengers! We would both like to thank our loverly reviewers and subscribers for being awesome. Thanks guys!_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Laynie barely walked through the door to her apartment before she began crying. That's why she had insisted upon going in alone.

Tony, in full Iron Man armor, and a handful of SHIELD agents had taken her to her old apartment to finish getting her things out.

The walls of the once so homey apartment were bare, the photographs that had once adorned them put in storage. Her mother's room was stripped empty of everything but the bed frame, and her own room was mostly packed up. It was a horror. The home had once been so beautiful to her, and she had never really appreciated it. Now that she was being forced to leave it behind, she realized how much she loved it.

Being there left a knot in her stomach and tears in her eyes. She could still smell her mom's favorite air freshener all over the place. She could still see her mother standing over the kitchen stove, making dinner for the two of them. She could still feel her mom sitting beside her on her bed after she had returned from a mission, venting about her frustrations with her boss.

It was all too much for her. All Laynie really wanted to do was lay across the floor and die. It sounds melodramatic, but it's true. She wondered how she had gotten along without her mother so far, and how much longer she could do it. It was a knife in the chest every time she remembered that her mom would no longer be there to guide her through life, no longer there to witness the things she wanted to accomplish.

Laynie finished packing her room, putting some things she wanted to have with her at Stark tower in a backpack. She knew this would be her last time in her house, so she decided to amble around it before calling in Tony. Even though it hurt to be there, it was a dull pain in comparison to what she would feel upon leaving for the last time.

She made sure to check in all the cabinets, drawers and closets around to make sure nothing was left, and found nothing but a stray lipstick, a clothes hanger, and a bobby pin.

Finally, she realized she couldn't stay any longer. Tears began welling up in her eyes again as she made for the door. Laynie walked slowly, taking everything in one last time, dragging her fingers along the walls.

Before she made it through her home, she decided that she could no longer call it that. It was her mother and their things that made it home. Without all that, it was simply a New York apartment. She knew were her home was, and with whom it belonged.

She flipped open her cell phone in the doorway, calling Tony and saying nothing else but, "Take me home."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

"This the street?" Clint asked Carter.

Carter looked up and out the window at the street sign they were coming up on. "Yeah," She answered quietly, "that's it."

Clint nodded and turned on the street.

Currently the two were en route to Carter's old house. Two cars with a bunch SHIELD agents in them trailed them.

Carter stared out the window impassively. The spark that had been in her eye the day before was gone and a misty glaze took it's place. When Clint told her that he was supposed to take her to her old house to collect the rest of her things, she was none too happy.

Collecting her things meant that part of her life was over. That she wouldn't be coming back. That she would never live in that house again.

"Is this it?"

Carter jumped when she heard Clint's voice. She focused on the house they stopped just in front of. Biting her lip, she nodded.

Clint stopped the car and stepped out. He opened the trunk and pulled out Carter's wheelchair.

He pushed it over to Carter and helped her in.

Carter took a deep breath and started wheeling herself up the driveway. Unfortunately, given as she was confined to a wheelchair Clint had to come with her. She would much rather go alone, knowing she wouldn't have to hold back tears if she could.

Clint opened the front door and allowed her to go first.

She slowly moved through the house, taking in each bare wall. Well, almost bare. She could look around and see marks that represented her life.

A white square, where her father had plastered a hole she had kicked in the wall when she was nine and wasn't allowed to stay up. A barrage of smaller white squares, where her father's gun had accidentally gone off in the kitchen.

She chuckled when she remembered that day. It was just her father and her. Her mother was on a mission. He made her swear not to tell her mother. Though, Carter didn't have to tell her mother for her to figure out what happened.

Though her relationship with her parents wasn't the best, it wasn't exactly the worst either. They were good parents, maybe a little forgetful of her, but she loved them regardless. And would much rather be with them at the present moment than anyone else.

She finally came to her room. Most of it was packed up, but there were still a few things left.

Rolling over to a small bookcase in the corner of the room, she picked up a few of the classic children's books she had. The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It may seem childish, but she couldn't bring herself to leave them behind with the memories they held. So, she shoved them in her bag.

Carter turned and looked at the floor boards. _I can't forget that._ "Clint!" She called loudly.

Clint busted into the room, gun at the ready.

"Put that down, I'm fine. I just needed your help with something." Carter rolled her eyes.

Clint quickly put the gun away. "What did you need?"

She pointed to the floor. "There's a loose floorboard over there. Could you pull it up for me?"

"What? Why?" He asked curiously.

"I kept something under there and I need to get it out." She explained. "Please?"

He sighed. "Fine. Just a minute." He searched a few seconds for the loose board and bent to pull it up.

A moment later, it came loose to reveal a box and a scrapbook.

He pulled both out and handed them to Carter before replacing the board.

Carter smiled and opened the scrapbook.

Her mother had made the scrapbook and kept adding to it until she was twelve. Then she gave it to Carter and told her to put whatever pictures she wanted into it.

There were pictures of her as a baby, pictures of her first day of school, pictures of Laynie and her as children, and so much more.

She flipped to the back and found more recent pictures, put in only a few weeks before her parents died. It was pictures of them when they went on vacation a few weeks previous. It was the first time they had really spent time together and probably a year.

Carter sniffled and closed the scrapbook. She was beginning to think that she may have to take Thor up on his offer.

She put it and the small box with it in her bag. The box was full of more pictures she had. Carter sighed. _Whatever else I want will be in storage. Director Fury told me they had packed all my parents stuff up and would get me a key to the storage unit soon. I guess it's time to go._

She looked up at Clint. "I'm ready to go now."

Clint nodded sympathetically and followed her out to the front door.

Carter stopped at the door, "I'll be right out..."

"Okay, take your time." Clint replied and swiftly left to start the car.

Taking one last look at the house, she said, "I guess this is it." She pushed herself out the front door and closed the door.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Laynie smiled as she pulled a blanket over her friend. Carter had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room with old cartoons on the television. Though her leg was on the way to healing, she was still on heavy pain medication to keep it from bothering her too much. It often put her to sleep, though not normally in the living room.

She sat on the floor in front of the couch, watching the last bit of the cartoon Carter had left running, then turned off the television and went into the kitchen for a snack. She passed Thor on the way in, and shushed him violently. Once he saw the reason, he grinned widely.

In the kitchen, Clint was standing over the stove, staring into a pot of water.

Laynie cringed behind his back. She didn't feel so strongly against Clint as her friend, but she still could hardly stand him. Laynie was a good actress though, so put on a smile and asked him what in the world he was doing.

"I'm waiting for this water to boil."

"A watched pot will never boil," Laynie quipped as she opened the large pantry. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Clint frown deeply before stepping away from the pot.

"What are you making anyway?"

"Macaroni and cheese."

"Hm," Laynie hummed, pulling a bag of Doritos out of the pantry. She opened it and sat down at the island beside Clint.

"So, how is Carter?"

Laynie rolled her eyes. "She's fine. She may whine a lot, but she's just sick of the wheelchair. The doctor has her on so much pain meds she might not feel it if she got shot again," she answered with a little laugh.

Clint leaned forward, looking at Laynie's face. "But you're worried about her."

Laynie was quiet, munching on a chip. "I'm just worried she's going to do something stupid and hurt herself again." Underneath the island, she clenched her hand into a fist. Her next sentence was barely audible. "I'm worried they're going to come after us again. I've never been more scared than I was at Costco."

Clint banged a hand on the counter, causing Laynie to startle and drop a chip. "I swear to both of you, I won't let those guys touch you again. _None_ of us will. You guys are one of us, at least for now, like it or not. And we don't let some stupid mercenaries take out any member of our family."

Laynie grinned, touched by Clint's words.

Clint smiled back slightly, his adamancy still clear on his face.

"Your water is boiling," Laynie said quietly.

He jumped up and eagerly poured his macaroni in the pot, setting a timer afterward.

Pepper entered the kitchen and glanced at its inhabitants, catching sight of Laynie. "Laynie, I have something to tell you. Fury just called Tony and told him that your dad is going to be able to take you. His house needs to be inspected, though, so it will be a few weeks before anything is set in stone."

Laynie's eyes went wide, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. _I don't want to go with him. He hated my mom, he hates me. I want to stay here,_ she realized. "But..."

Pepper bit her lip and put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "This isn't what you want, is it?"

Laynie stood very suddenly and went to her room, feeling the eyes of Clint and Pepper on her back as she walked away.

* * *

Laynie had only been a few months old when her father left her and her mother. Her mom always told her that they'd gotten into a fight, and afterward he had just up and left them. She had to leave Laynie with her friend's parents and their daughter Carter almost every day until she finished her two-year SHIELD training program. Once that was finished, they had moved into a small apartment, the one that Laynie had just had to say goodbye to, and then spent most of their time on the Helicarrier. Laynie had grown up without a father, and gotten by just fine without him.

And even laying across her borrowed bed in the Stark Tower, her mother dead, her home gone, she still told herself she didn't need him. She would rather go to some completely random foster family than go to him. Not only did she have no interest in getting to know her father, she hated the idea of it.

After having a good long pity-party, Laynie had gotten out her mom's laptop, something she had been meaning to do, to begin clearing off the classified things so she could use it as her own laptop. She was going through her mom's usb drives to figure out which ones held pictures and which ones held mission files, when she came upon a particularly odd one. It looked like it had seen a battle, the metal part of it was all scraped up, and the plastic bit had a melted corner. Stupidly, she put it in the computer anyway. Without her consent, the computer began downloading the contents, and she couldn't find a way to stop it. Panicked, she turned the laptop off and pulled the usb out.

When she heard a knock on the door, she scrambled to get the laptop off the bed and put the usb in her jacket pocket. "Who is it?"

The door creaked open and Carter peeked her head in, "Hey, sorry I wasn't up when you got home." She wheeled herself in. "So, what's u-" Carter stopped herself when she noticed tear stains on her friend's face. "What's wrong?"

Laynie scrubbed at her face with the heel of her hand. "Nothing," she replied quickly.

Carter raised an eyebrow as she closed the door, "Really? I'm not stupid, Laynie. I can tell you've been crying. What's wrong?"

She attempted to keep her lip from quivering as she spoke to her friend. "Just... Pepper said Fury called and, and they're going to send me to my dad."

Carter sighed and rolled over to the bed, she slowly lifted herself out of the chair and sat down next to Laynie on the bed, "I'm sorry," She gave Laynie a smile, "But, you never know, it may not be as bad as you think it will be."

"It's horrible!" she shouted suddenly. "I'm going to _New Mexico_. I'm going away from you, I'm going away from my home! I-I just want to stay here. I don't want to leave." She buried her face in her hands and tried not to cry more.

Carter leaned over and hugged her friend. "It'll be okay, you'll see. And it's not like we'll never see each other again. Trust me, it'll all work out in the end."

Laynie hugged her friend and gave up on trying to stop the tears. "I just want mom back."

"I can honestly say, I know how you feel."

Laynie sat back, wiping at her face again. "I'm sorry, that's selfish of me." Laynie really did feel bad for what she'd said. She only had to mourn one parent; Carter was mourning two.

"Don't say that. You're not being selfish, you're just upset. I mean, at least you're handling it better than I did." Carter smiled gently.

Laynie laughed tearfully. "No I'm not, I just managed to put it off."

"Yeah, well, you're not using your misery as an excuse to push others away. So, as far as I'm concerned, you're doing pretty good."

Laynie smiled and dropped her hands in her lap, finally satisfied that her tears were gone. "Thanks Carter. I..." she trailed off. She was going to tell her friend _"I don't know what I would do without you."_ Then she realized that soon, she would have to find out.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

_**WayToDawn324:**__ Such a sad chapter. :/ But, it's okay. Because we have lots and lots of exciting ideas for future chapters and arcs that will make up for the extreme sadness of this story. :D So, I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_**Lartovio:**__ ERMAHGERD. This is so sad. But, I want you all to know that it does get better! Me and Dawn have SO much awesome stuff in store for you guys, it's so exciting! We've got more bad guy arcs, and other little family ones planned. Not to mention this story's awesome wrap up. Also, I feel that it's time for... REVIEW REPLIES!_

_Well... just one. Sandy-wmd asked "I thought they were supposed to be with at least one of the Avengers at all times, but Steve didn't go to the school with them?" Answer: Due to the growing amounts of adolescent vigilantes, SHIELD has taken precautions to armor all the city's schools against attacks, putting experienced agents in various jobs at the schools. Midtown especially, due to many problems with one webhead... ;)_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

After a week, Carter was finally out of the wheelchair and walking about. Rather slowly, but still walking.

She walked into the kitchen to find Thor raiding the pantry and Tony ordering pizza. "Hey," she greeted with a smile.

"Carter!" Thor grinned and hugged the girl.

She laughed, "Hi Thor, what are you up to?"

"I am in pursuit of a snack, but it seems the buns of honey are nowhere to found." He sighed forlornly, "Alas, I shall find something else to snack on."

Carter nodded, "Okay then, you have fun." She turned and sat down at the table with Tony.

"Yes, six pizzas, two large cheese, two large pepperoni, and two extra large meat lovers pizzas." He said, obviously repeating himself to the man on the phone.

_These people and their pizza._ Carter shook her head.

Tony rattled off the address to the pizza guy then, out of habit, held the phone away from his ear as the person on the other end of the line either freaked out or questioned the validity of the order. "Yes, Stark Tower. I'm Tony Stark, bring me pizza."

Laynie shook her head as she walked by, following Pepper into the dining room to help set the table for the incoming pizza feast.

After that was finished, Thor, Clint, Tony and Natasha played a match of Wii Bowling with Bruce watching. Natasha won by a lot, putting shame to her partner and his highscore. When the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of their pizza, everyone except Pepper, Carter and Laynie dashed into the living room to prepare for the oncoming food.

"I've got two large cheese, two large pepperoni, and two extra large meat lovers pizzas for Tony Stark."

"That's ours," Pepper said with a smile.

"Could I carry these in for you ma'am?"

"Of course, thank you." Pepper led the pizza man, Laynie, and Carter to the dining room, and the pizzas were laid out across the large table. Without so much as a glance, Pepper smacked her boyfriend's hand away from the boxes before pulling out her checkbook. "What do I owe you?"

The man smiled, then swiftly grabbed a steak knife from the table.

Pepper screamed as he swiped at her, luckily managing to slap the knife away with her checkbook.

Each of the Avengers sprang into action. Natasha and Steve both leaped over the table. Natasha kicked the knife out of his hand, and Steve kicked the back of his right knee, putting him on the floor.

Tony's first response was to grab Pepper, and they both looked on with wide eyes.

"That's a dirty pizza man!" Tony shouted, feeling both betrayed and violated.

Laynie let out an uneasy laugh, and there was a split second of silence before more black-clad men, exactly like the ones in Costco, came running into the door, left wide open after the pizza man.

Carter and Laynie stuck close together as the men poured into the room. They both tried to run from the room, but didn't end up very far before being cut off by a large man. He was about to lunge at them, but was stopped by a bullet to his stomach.

Carter looked behind her and saw Natasha with one of her many guns.

"It's imperative that-" Natasha was stopped by a man attacking her from behind. She took hold of his fist and flipped him, then pressing her foot into his neck until he lost consciousness. "Get out of here!" she shouted.

Suddenly, Iron Man shot through the house, grabbing both girls, crashing through the window and into the New York City night. He landed on a building across the street, setting the girls down and shielding them from bullets. The faceplate was lifted to reveal Tony's face.

"Why are they here? What are they after?"

"I don't know!" they both cried.

"There has to be something! What's something you both know in common about your parents' missions?"

They thought hard, asking each other about a few things. Things they probably shouldn't have known about.

"There's nothing, Tony," Laynie sighed. She wrapped her arms around herself, and something fell out of her sweater's pocket. She reached down for it, and found the battered usb drive she'd put in that pocket over a week ago. "Oh my gosh," she said, staring at the small device.

Tony grabbed it from her without a second thought, flipping open a port on his left arm and putting it in. "Jarvis, download and examine data."

_"I would not recommend that, Sir. This drive contains harmful files that could potentially compromise my systems. The file must be opened on a more protected computer."_

Tony swore under his breath, stashing the drive in the port. "You two stay here, lay down and don't move a muscle, we'll take care of this."

Without another word, he took off.

Both girls shared a quick look, but then laid down on the rooftop of the building, hiding behind the ledge. They peeked their eyes out over the ledge and watched Stark Tower. They could see all of the Avengers fighting their attackers.

Carter growled, "I sure wish we knew what was going on."

"I think it's my fault that they're here. I opened that file on my mom's laptop."

"I bet that's what our parents died for. Some stupid intelligence."

That thought hadn't occurred to Laynie yet. She laid her head down on her hands, having seen enough of the fighting. "I bet it is."

Hours later, SHIELD had come and gone, the perimeter had been secured, and those of the Avengers who got through without an injury were cleaning up the apartment. That made Natasha, Clint, Pepper, Thor and the girls. Steve had been hit on the head pretty hard, Bruce was still trying to calm down, and Tony had a couple of ribs badly bruised before he was able to get in his suit.

"Guys, I'll have that cleaned tomorrow, please just go to bed," Tony begged for the millionth time. He was laying across the couch with an icepack over his ribcage and a bit of tissue on a split lip.

"It's okay Tony," Laynie said quietly. "What did you do with the usb?"

"Jarvis is running an analysis on it downstairs. Heavily encrypted file, tried to take over the computer six times already."

Laynie nodded, putting another piece of drywall in a trash bag. "Thanks, you guys, for watching out for us. We'd be dead by now if not for you."

"Quit thanking us," Tony whined. He shifted on the couch and grabbed the icepack as it almost slipped off him.

"Really, girls, you're no problem," Pepper insisted.

Carter smiled, "I would say thank you too. But, I feel Laynie has probably done it enough for both of us."

The room was silent after that, other than the rustling of plastic bags and the clink of glass hitting glass.

_"Excuse me, there's an incoming call from Director Fury,"_ JARVIS announced.

Tony groaned, and Pepper rolled her eyes, walking to get her phone to take the call. "Hello?" Pepper bit her lip as the man spoke, nodding to herself. "Alright. Yes sir, they will be there." Pepper raised an eyebrow. "We'll all be there." She put the phone back down and sat on the arm of the couch behind Tony. The whole room watched her expectantly. "Fury wants us _all_ in a meeting on the Helicarrier tomorrow, first thing."

Tony just groaned again. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Pepper said. "It's about the usb and also about the girls' living situations."

"Oh, that's fun," Carter scoffed.

Instead of opting for sarcasm like her friend, Laynie's heart dropped to her stomach. She had been anticipating further information on living with her father, but hadn't truly been able to prepare herself for the news.

Pepper looked at the watch on her wrist. "It's getting late, we should all get to bed."

Everyone agreed, and with that, the girls went to bed anxiously awaiting the next day.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Carter and Laynie could both barely contain their nervousness as they filed into the helicarrier's meeting room where they had first met the Avengers. Laynie couldn't help but wonder if this would be the last place she'd see them, though she knew that wasn't logical. They would still have to get their things out of the tower.

The two girls stuck close together, sitting beside each other in chairs as far away from Director Fury as they could manage. The two extra people in the room didn't escape their notice, either.

Laynie and Carter's social workers were nice enough, but often treated them like they were much younger. They both seemed to have been in the business for a while, but had less experience with teens.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Director Fury started, "First order of business, the men who are after Carter and Laynie. We know it has to do with the usb Laynie found, which as of now we do not know what is on it." He turned to the girls. "Agents Natasha and Clint will be leaving in a few days to find whoever is coming after you two. Until then, there's nothing more for us to say on that subject."

Director Fury then turned to the social workers. "Secondly, Carter and Laynie, you will soon have new living arrangements. I will leave it to your social workers to explain." He motioned to the women sitting on the other side of the table.

Mrs. Brauer, Laynie's social worker, stood and straightened her jacket. "Mr. Walter Martinez was located in Santa Fe, New Mexico a few weeks ago. We've been speaking with him and working with the Santa Fe DSS to ensure he will be a dependable parent. We've deemed his living situations, behaviors, and location suitable for Miss Combs, and we'll be transferring her by train this Friday. Five days."

Before Laynie could react to the words, Tony and Pepper had both began loudly making their complaints known.

"Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, I can assure you that Laynie will be safe. SHIELD will continue to watch her as she's transferred, but now that we have the USB, she won't be in so much danger," Fury shouted over them both.

Laynie scooted closer to her friend, grabbing onto her arm as if it were the only thing keeping her in the seat.

Tony kept arguing, and Thor even jumped in on it. Laynie blocked everything out.

"_That's enough!_" the social worker shouted, silencing the two men. "There is no room for argument. All is said and done."

Silence fell over the room, the only sound made was Mrs. Brauer sitting in her seat and shifting around some of her files.

Carter's social worker, Miss Wright, cleared her throat and stood. "Yes, well, Miss Beckett's case is quite a bit different from Miss Combs. Miss Beckett has few living family members that we could find and the ones we did find were deemed unsuitable to care for her properly. With that being said, Miss Beckett, for now, will stay under the care of the state and will be sent to a foster family in the immediate area on Friday."

Almost immediately after Miss Wright finished, Tony started to open his mouth to argue again.

Seeing this, Carter stopped him. "Please don't argue with them."

Tony's first sentence died on his lips.

"I kinda figured this would happen. It's not a big deal." Carter smiled weakly.

Bruce slapped his hand down on the table, causing everyone to jump. Not only because of the sudden activity, but because of who it was that was causing it. "It's not okay! You can't just split these girls up! Laynie obviously does not want anything to do with her father, and there is _no_ sense in just putting Carter in whatever home will have her! This is-"

"Just stop!" Carter shouted, "I'm fine. We all knew us staying with you all wasn't permanent. And like I said, I expected this."

Bruce met Carter's eyes, and instead of seeing anger there like she expected, she saw tears.

That was it for Laynie. She jumped out of her chair and left the room, not bothering to excuse herself.


End file.
